I. CWA’s primary theme is PUTTING FAMILIES FIRST. Is it unreasonable to ask government to respect our family budgets and follow the example of responsible families? Work, produce, save: previous generations believed those three principles would protect their families. Nowadays, we are actually punished for successfully working, producing and saving. Families and businesses face higher taxation when they work and produce successfully, making it harder and harder to save money for your and your children’s futures, including their education, in order for them to continue the tradition of becoming productive, responsible citizens.

Previous generations saved up for their futures, but government taxes our hard-earned dollars, our savings, our property and, for the final insult, imposes a death tax on our estates if we’re fortunate enough to have anything substantial left when we die. The marriage penalty about to reappear discourages people from marrying or staying married. One of my cousins actually divorced his wife and then they continued to live together as singles just to save on taxation! All of this is terribly counter-productive to encouraging families to stay together, work, produce and save for their own futures. Now even the charitable gifts deduction is being threatened! Why does the government punish responsible behavior? And what is this about the government not being able to afford tax breaks? In fact, it is we the people who cannot afford to give more of our hard-earned money to the government!

II. STEWARDSHIP: My question for you is WHOSE MONEY IS IT ANYWAY? Everything belongs to God, and we earn money through our labor, expending our life’s energy and our time. Remember that THE GOVERNMENT HAS NO MONEY EXCEPT FOR WHAT IT TAKES AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE! The government produces absolutely nothing in reality; nevertheless, it demands that we feed its growing appetite. I think of government as a voracious, unhealthy, obese monster reaching into our families, our homes, and our pockets for more and more food so that it can grow more and more! Higher taxation takes away a family’s ability to determine their own priorities and enables that government monster to invade even our family relationships. Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God one day: Have you defended your family from a government run amuck? Have you been a faithful steward of the resources God has allowed you to have?

III. That question leads me to my last point PRIORITIES. God gives to us, and then we are responsible to give to others. The most efficient way to do so is to give through our churches and related organizations, the traditional vehicles for social change and improvement. Higher taxes take away a family’s ability to determine their own priorities, the #1 priority for Christians being our tithe to the LORD through His church. Higher taxation inevitably results in lower tithing. As government grows more and more, the church body’s role has become more and more constricted for lack of resources and the competing government bureaucracies which we all know are horribly inefficient.

The greatest wealth for any nation comes from God’s blessing on it. We must restore a proper balance to the church -state relationship to revive that blessing. Church leadership and the body need to take back the church’s role in the culture: To teach the people about God and His Son and our servant responsibilities to maintain a healthy culture, complete with feeding the hungry, giving alms to the poor and caring for widows and orphans. Separation of church and state applies to the state not interfering with the church, but government now has pushed the church right out of its role as the greatest giver of charity. We have surrendered our responsibilities to a greedy, inefficient government, and it is past time for us to fight for God’s Biblical principles and His plan for man to serve Him from the FIRST fruits, the VERY BEST, not with the leftovers after we pay our taxes. Tax or tithe? Which one do you prefer? Which one will you defend? Who will you serve, government or Almighty God? As Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Living God.” How about you?

IV. Stand up, stand fast, defend your family, be a good steward of God’s gifts to you and choose tonight to turn this country back to the loving God Who allowed us to come into existence as a free and Christian nation. Pray for the governing authorities and submit to them, but remember that when the temple was corrupted by greed and avarice, our Savior Jesus Christ overturned the tables and reclaimed the temple for God’s pure purposes. Be respectful of the people in control, but work hard to bring in more God-fearing leaders.

I choose to put that obese government monster on a diet so I can obediently tithe to God. Will you join me? Demand accountability from our government at all levels. Demand that they put families first before bureaucratic interests and greed. Demand that they work within a budget just like your family does. Educate yourself and your Christian friends and families. Choose your leaders carefully.

PRAY that we as a nation will return to our founding principles and be free to live in liberty and pursue happiness. President Ronald Reagan was a rebel like us. He spoke for the common man and woman and for their families. I’ll finish with some of his words:

“If you’re afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. The American people are ready to move again.”

“Government isn’t the solution to our problems. Government IS the problem!”

“Government has an inborn tendency to grow. And, left to itself, it will grow beyond the control of the people.”

“Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.”

And, finally: “If we ever forget that we are one Nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”